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I believe it is a hybrid it looks to be Gigantea x Alocasia odora or maybe the other way around. I can say just by looking at the flower that it has some very distinct characteristics to gigantea. I have tried this cross before with no luck. Both pollen on gigantea and Odora. I am thinking this maybe formed from cryptic pollination. I would have liked to seen the inside of the flower to see how the female section was constructed. The spath shares a lot with gigantea with especially the odd way it cups up at the bottom of the spath. This is something I have only seen in Gigantea and no other plant. It is hard to describe exactly what I am talking about but the base of the spath will swell right above the female section and once it drops pollen. The pollen will fall into this swollen drooped section. This photo does not show the exact thing I am talking about but it seems to be in Lariann's flower as well as Gigantea. It seems to be more present the second and third day after pollen has dropped. I have seen some photos of hypnosa flowers and it looked very similar. I am wondering was their just one flower or did it produce a few after this?
Lariann on a bit of another note. I hate to get philosophical or open all kinds of cans of worms on here. But for me personally I find that if evolution was in play wouldn't this be very possible and easy to breed closely related plants such as Colocasias with Alocasias such as we are seeing here. The problem I see is that they all seem to be sterile or at least on the way to being sterile. I am having a hard time in some of my breeding with species in the same genus. It would seem that this should be very easy to do sense both are fertile and produce pollen. The fact is they will not work for what ever reason chromosomes or pollen structure. I am getting a bit frustrated with the whole thing and it has brought up more than just anger on why it will not work. I have to say on another note that I believe you were completely right when you said the forms that were formerly known as Xenophya would not breed with any other Alocasias. This seems to be the complete case. Have you figured out why they are not working and if this is the case. Should they still be considered Alocasias?
Here is the definition for species
Biology. the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species.
I am finding other very well known and named aroids that are sterile and showing all signs of either a hybrid or tetriploid. This makes me wonder are some of these just ancient hybrids or are they mutated dead ends?
Sorry for the ear full. This should probably be put on aroid-l for others to comment. I think that when people like me and you have seen more than our fair share of plants and flowers that our ID may in fact be a bit better than most others. I think DNA would prove that you are correct that Alocasia hypnosa is in fact a ancient Alocasia x Colocasia hybrid.
Interesting discovery!!!! I was lucky enough to purchase this plant 2 years ago from Chris. I brought 5 bulbs and they multiplied nicely in 1 year I probably had around 20 new bulbs.
